AT HOME

'Panos Earth' has been anchored in South Africa's False Bay for 7 weeks without electrical power & the crew wants to go home
The Panos Earth, 75,864 dwt bulk carrier needs $500 000 (R3.6 million) to repair her generators but squabbles with insurers mean the ship is heading for her eighth week anchored in False Bay, with a disgruntled crew who want to go home, reports the 'Cape Times' newspaper.
In the tangle of broken generators, the shipowner’s cash-flow problems, no funds from the insurance company and various creditors arresting the vessel, the South American crew say they’ve had enough and want to go home.
They have called on the local representatives of the International Transport Workers Federation for help.
Cassiem Augustus, one of the federation’s inspectors, went on board with Alan Goldberg, lawyer for the organisation and spoke through a translator to the 15 Chilean, two Panamanian and one Peruvian crew members. “They were angry and feeling lost because they can’t come ashore and say they feel they’re being imprisoned at sea. They said they hadn’t brought this on themselves and worked in terms of their contract until the ship broke down. They say they have not been getting all their money and want to go home,” Augustus said.
It appears the problem with the ship is faulty generators, which failed after they became clogged from dirty fuel taken in South America.

The Lowe's Companies Inc. Home Improvement Transportation Division has awarded Horizon Lines with its most prestigious honor, The 2006 Platinum Carrier Award for the highest levels of delivered service. The award was presented at the home improvement retailer's annual carrier meetings held in Wilkesboro, NC last month.
This is the sixth consecutive year Horizon Lines has been honored by Lowe's.
Lowe's has awarded Horizon Lines with its Outstanding Ocean Service Provider Award for the

The Coast Guard icebreaker Polar Star returned home to Elliott Bay a day ahead of schedule Tuesday afternoon after a successful voyage to Antarctica to help break a supply channel for U.S. science stations.
The 399-ft. long, Seattle-based cutter and its 134-member crew, commanded by Capt. Bruce Toney who usually commands its twin, Polar Sea, scrambled on less than 48-hours notice to leave on Jan. 20 from Pier 36, home of the nation's polar icebreaking fleet.

Moroccan seafarers finally head home after owners abandoned their ships, but wages still unpaid
Moroccan seafarers left stranded in Spain after the ferry company they were working for ran into financial trouble have finally been repatriated after six months.
The ITF (International Transport Workers Federation) initiated a solidarity campaign earlier this year after workers from the ITF-affiliated Moroccan Workers’ Union (UMT)

According to reports, the waters of the Great Lakes, near the shores of Canada, may soon be home to offshore wind power. The Province of Ontario's Ministry of Natural Resources has lifted a deferral on applications to produce offshore wind power in the province's waters. This decision came after the province took steps over the past year to obtain the best available information on which to base decisions regarding offshore projects on. These steps have included partnering with the U.S

Huntington Ingalls Industries' Newport News Shipbuilding division partnered with the American Heart Association to teach shipbuilders how to perform hands-only CPR during a demonstration Thursday. The American Heart Association provided the shipyard a mobile CPR unit for on-site instruction and take-home kits to promote hands-on practice with family and friends.
With more than 300 employees in attendance, representatives from the HealthWaves wellness program were onsite to greet

Reflecting a rise in the popularity of passengers departing from ports closer to their homes, cruise lines carried 2.3 million passengers on North American cruises in the first quarter of 2004, the Maritime Administration (MARAD) reported today. The figures reflect a 13.6 percent increase compared to the same period in 2003.
The majority of cruises are still destined for the Caribbean and the Bahamas. However, there has been important growth in new and emerging "drive market" ports --

(Photo Credit: Richard Grable)
Fueled in part by a spate of luxurious newbuildings such as the Queen Mary 2, the cruise industry, according to government statistics, is growing by leaps and bounds.
Reflecting a rise in the popularity of passengers departing from ports closer to their homes, cruise lines carried 2.3 million passengers on North American cruises in the first quarter of 2004, the Maritime Administration (MARAD) reported today. The figures reflect a 13

Bernard Koether III of Westport, Chairman of the Stratford-based Glacier Society, presented Congressman Robert Simmons of Connecticut’s Second District, a Glacier Society plaque in recognition of the lawmaker’s legislative efforts. The presentation took place June 6 at a reception in New Canaan.
Simmons is a strong supporter of the movement to re-commission the USS/USCGC Glacier and return her to active service for the benefit of humanity

A clever new renewable energy solution combining COLORBOND® pre-painted steel sheet roofing with cutting-edge, thin-film solar panels is set to provide Australian homes with a streamlined, aesthetically pleasing rooftop energy system that captures the sun’s energy as both electricity and heat.
ARENA CEO Ivor Frischknecht joined Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Industry, Bob Baldwin, to launch the new technology at a home in Sydney today.

Following the plunge in dry bulk freight market, shipping companies are banking on increased iron ore exports from Brazil to China and India to shore up freight rates, reports the Hindu Businessline.
Hauling ore from Brazil to China will cost almost double than that from Australia

American Eagle is Second Riverboat for American Cruise Lines in New Orleans
Guilford, CT-based American Cruise Lines will introduce its second riverboat to be home-ported in New Orleans. The two new riverboats are the first new ships built specially for the Mississippi River in 20 years

Calecore continues strong Norwegian presence with recent contract awards from three majors, including imminent works with ABB
Calecore has been contracted by ABB to supply a pre-lay survey of the Martin Linge PFS (Power from Shore) cable route to be conducted from the DP2 class vessel

American oil firm Noble Energy will supply Egypt with seven LNG cargos from April for two years, an Egyptian oil ministry statement said on Tuesday.
Egypt has signed several deals in past months to import natural gas, which powers most of its home and factories.

Jacob Stolt-Nielsen, 83, passed away today in the company of his family at his home in Oslo.
An entrepreneur and visionary of boundless enthusiasm and energy, Jacob Stolt-Nielsen founded Parcel Tankers, Inc. in 1959 and pioneered the global trade for liquid chemicals

USS Cole (DDG 67) will enter the Black Sea, Feb. 8, 2015, to promote peace and stability in the region.
Cole’s presence in the Black Sea will serve to reaffirm the U.S. dedication to commitment towards strengthening the partnerships and joint operational capabilities amongst U.S

The new cruise terminals at North Harbor provide the innovative setting when global key leaders meet for the Danish Maritime Forum on 7-8 October.
With just five meters to the blue waves of Oresund the World’s maritime key leaders will feel at home when they participate in the

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. (MHI) will reorganize its research and development structure.
The reorganization initiative calls for the creation of a new Research & Development Center consolidating the five currently existing Research & Development Centers

Iran’s 33rd naval fleet has foiled pirate attacks on two Iranian tankers during the first days of its presence in the open waters and the Gulf of Aden.
The timely presence and action of the Iranian Navy’s 33rd Flotilla thwarted the attack by pirate speed boats

General Dynamics’ four-channel Digital Modular Radios (DMR) are being upgraded with high-frequency dynamic routing (HFDR) software to turn the radio’s four channels into eight virtual channels. In addition to HFDR, the new high-frequency virtual channel exploitation software

The Port of London Authority (PLA) has ordered a new purpose-built survey catamaran, a CTruk MPC19, due to enter service on the river Thames later this year.
The vessel is will replace the PLA’s Yantlet vessel as she reaches the end of her service life

Residents of Islampur, a remote village in the northern Bangladeshi district of Naogaon, were stunned one night last summer when the darkness was suddenly illuminated by electric lights coming from a village home.
Why the surprise? The community has no connection to the country's power grid.

Nils Andersen, chief executive of AP Møller-Maersks, has warned that global trade will never return to scorching pre-crisis growth rates, in part because western companies are looking to manufacture more goods closer to home, says a report in the Financial Times.